Page 79 of Ronen
“I don’t know,” I frowned, trying to put my feelings into words. “I know it’s silly, and I’m being all kinds of superstitious, but I want to wait until I’m further along. Just in case something happens.”
“Nothing is going to happen,” Mason whispered, “the baby is perfect. Lily said so. You need to stop worrying.”
My hand came to lay gently across my belly, a gesture I had caught myself doing more and more, and I needed to try to curb the urge today. Becca was always doing it, and I knew it would be a dead giveaway. And I knew Mason was chomping at the bit to tell his parents about us, and the baby, but was going along with me to make me happy.
“I know my family,” I told him, smiling softly when his hand covered mine and he caressed my belly. “They’ll have all kinds of questions. Where are we going to live? Are we going to find out the sex of the baby? When are we getting claimed, or married, or both.” Sighing, I rubbed my forehead. “I’m really not up for dealing with them today. I would have skipped this holiday completely, but I would have never heard the end of it. Besides, I don’t want to disappoint Grandma and Nana.”
He chuckled, taking my hand, and I pulled him towards the din of noise. “I’m sure they aren’t that bad, but we’ll wait until you’re ready. Just…we are going to tell them, right?” His voice took on a slightly panicked edge. “You’re not going to make me call them from the hospital or anything after we’ve had the baby?”
I tilted my head, pretending to think about it. “Undecided. Maybe? I hadn’t thought of that, but I like your style, sir.”
Mason shook his head, “No, no. We are not doing that.”
“Justlike we will not be calling me honey.” I said the last word with enough disgust to get my point across but made sure I was grinning when I said it, so he knew I wasn’t that upset by it.
But really, we weren’t going to make a habit of calling me that.
We entered my grandmother’s immaculate, sparkling white kitchen. The French doors leading to the back yard were open, letting in the sunshine and the slightly chilly mid-April breeze, while allowing some of the heat from the ovens and stove that were working overtime out.
“Goddess, it’s hot in here,” I declared, waving my hand in front of my face.
“Ronen, sweetheart, you’re here!” My grandmother, Mary, beamed from where she was stirring something in a saucepan. “Sammi! Where is that girl? Always underfoot, wanting to stir something, until I actually need her to stir the gravy.”
“I’m right here,” my cousin, Sammi, sidled up and took control of the gravy. “Chill, lady.”
A low, rumbling clearing of the throat from her dad, my Uncle Finn, who was draining the potatoes, had her blushing. “Sorry, G’ma.”
“Mason,” Grandma Mary wiped her hands on a dishtowel, her cheeks rosy from the heat of the kitchen, “may I call you Mason?”
She leaned on her cane as she made her way slowly over to us.
“Please, yes,” Mason nodded, his hand reaching out to grasp mine tightly in his.
“I’m Mary Sinclair, the cause of all this,” she waved her hand around at the many occupants of the kitchen, “mayhem. Welcome to my home. We’re so glad you could join us.”
It was cute how she was acting like she’d given us a choice in the matter.
Grandma Mary clasped his hand in hers, before turning to me and wrapping me in one of her warm hugs.
Hands down, she gave the best hugs, always had.
She held onto me for a few seconds longer than normal, then cupped my cheek when she pulled away, staring into my eyes with a gentle look, her lips turned up in a secretive smile.
Yep, she for sure knew I was pregnant.
Tilting my face into her hand, I pleaded with my eyes for her not to say anything. She patted my cheek softly, then gave me a wink.
Mason looked around at all the many, many eyes staring at us, the kitchen nearly silent now, except for the sounds of things bubbling on the stove.
“Thank you for inviting me.”
Giving my family an annoyed look, I snapped, “All of you act right and stop staring! This is not the first time we’ve had company.”
“But,” my cousin Rory grinned, her long chestnut hair swaying as she bounced on the balls of her feet, “it’s the first timeyou’vebrought company. Of course, we’re going to stare.”
Becca waddled into the room, one hand on her very pregnant belly.
“Do not harass your cousin,” she ordered, her dark brown eyes laughing.
